


Unexpected Visits with Possibilities

by 27summer



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-10-22 05:28:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10690710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/27summer/pseuds/27summer
Summary: Spoilers for everything through episode 4x22 All or Nothing. Quinn heads to New York to congratulate Rachel on her audition and they reveal a few secrets to each other.





	Unexpected Visits with Possibilities

**Author's Note:**

> Written in August 2013.

In the quiet of the evening, Rachel jumped when she heard a knock on the door. She grabbed the baseball bat Kurt bought for protection and went to answer the door. It wasn’t that late but she wasn’t expecting anyone and she didn’t want to be caught unaware. Taking a peek, she squealed and dropped the bat. She opened the door and threw her arms around her visitor. “Quinn! Hi!”

“Hey, Rachel. I guess you’re happy to see me,” Quinn said as she allowed Rachel to pull her into the apartment, adjusting the flowers she had in her hands. “These are for you.”

“Thank you. What for? Why are you here?” Rachel asked, sniffing the flowers.

Quinn blushed. She hadn’t really thought this through. Kurt had texted that he would be in Lima while Rachel had her Funny Girl audition. She figured she would come down and support Rachel. But seeing her now, she felt a little awkward. “I- I know your audition was today. I just wanted to see you and see how it went.”

“You’re so sweet.” Rachel hugged her and dragged her over to the couch.

“It’s no big deal.” Quinn shrugged her shoulders.

“No, it is. I was feeling a little lonely with both Kurt and Santana gone.” Rachel picked up Quinn’s hand and played with it absently as she talked. “But my audition- I was so nervous but I think it went well. I sang my song and it was like I was born to do it.”

“Well, you are. I’m so happy for you.” Quinn squeezed Rachel’s hand.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Rachel said, scooting closer to Quinn. “I haven’t really seen you this year. Neither of us has really used our Metro North cards.”

“Not true, I did back in January.”

Rachel rolled her eyes, gently pushing Quinn’s shoulder. “Seriously. I- I was so happy when you gave me it but we haven’t used them. Why not?”

“We both were busy settling in. The first year of college is tough,” Quinn pointed out. “You- you didn’t really seem to want to see me and I didn’t want to push. When I got here today, I thought maybe it was a mistake not to call first.”

“Oh, Quinn.” Rachel sighed. “I’m sorry you felt like that. You’re always welcome here. I guess I let myself get wrapped up in other things. Brody. Finn. I wasn’t thinking about the important things in my life.”

“Rach, that’s not why I said that. I don’t expect to be your priority.” Quinn leaned her head on Rachel’s shoulder. “It’s okay for you to be selfish sometimes. I’m not mad at you. I just missed you.”

“Oh.” Rachel rested her head on top of Quinn’s. “I missed you, too.”

Quinn allowed herself a few moments to enjoy Rachel’s hug before separating from her. “What have you been doing? Enjoying the quiet without Santana and Kurt?”

Rachel laughed. “A little bit. It’s nice but I’m really not used to it. There’s always a million different things going on but now, there’s nothing. I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“We should celebrate. Let me take you out to dinner.” Quinn smiled indulgently.

“I already ate. Besides, we’re in my city. Don’t you think I should treat you?” Rachel asked. She laced her fingers with Quinn’s. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

“I am, too.” Quinn squeezed Rachel’s hand. “So? What do you want to do?”

“It’ll sound strange but I’m honestly tired. I’m not up for going out. Would you hate me if we just stayed in tonight and watched movies or something?”

“Hey, of course not. I showed up with no warning, I don’t mind hanging out here.” Quinn shrugged. “Besides, Santana would probably kill us if we went to a club without her.”

“Yeah.” Rachel jumped off the couch and crossed over to her shelf of DVDs. “Since it’s my celebration, I get first pick. Funny Girl.”

“Whatever you want, Rach,” Quinn said as Rachel settled back on the couch with her. “It’s your night.”

\--------------------

A few hours later, Quinn awoke to a heavy weight on her shoulder. She turned her head and found Rachel slumped against her. She smirked as she noticed the gentle snores coming from her. Her heart jumped into her throat as she gazed at Rachel. Silky brown hair, pursed lips, fluttering eyelashes. God, she thought, Rachel was so beautiful. Her heart thumped steadily in her chest. This feeling was exactly why she had avoided making the trip up here to see Rachel. She got all mixed up whenever she was around her. She didn’t know how to make herself act normal when she saw her.

“What’s wrong?” Rachel mumbled, her eyes opening.

“Nothing. Just thinking.” Quinn nodded at the TV. “Movie’s over.”

“Did you like it?” Rachel sat up, looking at Quinn expectantly.

Quinn rolled her eyes, a smirk on her face. “I liked what I saw of it. I fell asleep, too.”

Rachel gasped theatrically. “We should never sleep during Barbra.”

“Hey, it’s been a long week for the both of us.” Quinn nudged Rachel’s foot with her own. “I’m sure this won’t be the only time you make me watch Funny Girl.”

“No.” Rachel sighed happily, leaning into Quinn. “What’s made your week so long?”

“Nothing, really. At least, not compared to your audition.” Quinn closed her eyes, allowing herself to cuddle into Rachel. “I’ve got auditions of my own to prepare for.”

“Really? For what?” Rachel looked up at Quinn, smiling at the way she inched near to her without really noticing it.

“Freshmen Showcase. We’re not allowed to audition for parts in the drama productions as Freshmen. The showcase is the only time we can perform on stage.”

“What part did you get? What‘s the play? When do you go on?” Rachel asked excitedly. “Can I come see you?”

“I don’t know yet. We find out on Tuesday. I tried out for Ophelia in Hamlet.” Quinn pressed her face into Rachel’s hair.

“Wow, Shakespeare. I think you’d make a wonderful Ophelia.” Rachel put her hand on Quinn’s thigh and squeezed.

“I don’t have the part yet. Plus, it’s not like we’re doing the whole play. On one day of the showcase, we do scenes from Shakespeare.” Quinn bit her lip, glancing down at Rachel’s hand. She could feel her face flushing and hoped Rachel couldn’t notice. “We get to pick one part to audition for and our professors and advisors assign us another part. It’s a real easy way to see how much talent you have. You know, do you get a little part or a big one? I guess I can see how good I actually am.”

“I think you’re wonderful.” Rachel leaned into Quinn. It was nice to be close to someone and not have to feel pressure. She hadn’t been able to relax in so long.

“You’re hardly unbiased,” Quinn murmured, her eyes meeting Rachel’s. “But thank you.”

Rachel let herself get lost in Quinn’s gaze. She always had to be on guard around Santana and Kurt. They were her friends, sure, but there was a tiny part of her that was competing with them, particularly with Kurt. It was almost like they were always waiting for the other one to slip up. It was stressful. But she didn’t feel that way with Quinn anymore. Quinn made her feel supported, like she could do anything. And that was really something she needed right now.

“Hey,” Quinn busted through Rachel’s thoughts, gently touching her face. “What are you thinking so hard up?”

“Nothing much. Just how glad I am you’re here. It’s been a tough few months.” Rachel shrugged. “I know most of the Brody stuff was my fault for being naïve but I still feel pretty stupid about falling for it.”

“No, no. How could you have known he was a prostitute?”

Rachel turned red and ducked her head. “I didn’t know you knew about that. Did Santana tell you? God, she must have had such a good time making fun of me.”

“She didn’t.” Quinn laughed sheepishly at Rachel’s disbelieving looked. “Okay, she did but I honestly think she was worried and just didn’t know how to express herself.”

“Because Santana is always so shy with her feelings?”

Quinn rolled her eyes and placed her arm around Rachel. “She’s not shy but she tries to be helpful. She just doesn’t know how to do it without bulldozing over everyone. But listen. Brody wasn’t your fault. He’s the one who lied.”

“I know.” Rachel blew out a breath and tugged Quinn’s arms around her body, lacing their fingers together. “I want to be smarter. I don’t want to get myself into trouble, you know? I don’t want to keep making stupid mistakes.”

“Hey, relax. We all sleep with someone we shouldn’t. It’s not the end of the world.”

“You- you’re talking about your professor, right? Santana wasn’t making that up?” Rachel turned to look at Quinn’s face.

“I should’ve known Santana would tell you about that.” Quinn looked down at her hands, fighting the urge to squirm away. “But, yeah. That wasn’t my finest moment. But it was good, I guess. I mean, I realized I didn’t want to keep falling into a mess with a man.”

“Well, I’m glad. You- you’re so much better than sleeping with some guy who doesn’t deserve you.” Rachel smiled at the bashful look on Quinn’s face. “Don’t you know how special you are? You should be with someone who realizes that.”

Quinn pursed her lips, hoping Rachel would look away soon. She wasn’t sure she wouldn’t blurt out every thought that came to mind if Rachel didn’t stop staring at her. “Maybe. But anyway. That’s over and I’m fine. And you know, I slept with Santana and the world didn’t end. Sometimes things just happen.”

“What?”

“What? What’s wrong?” At Rachel’s devastated stare, Quinn ran her words through her mind and cringed. Why couldn’t she just stop talking?

“You- you slept with Santana? When? How? Why?” Rachel spit questions out as she untangled herself from Quinn and stood up. She paced around the room, unable to pinpoint exactly why she felt she betrayed.

“At Mr. Schue’s wedding. It- it was no big deal. It was just something that happened.” Quinn stumbled over her words, hoping she made sense.

“You- you don’t- Why would you do that? Why her? You- you’ve never-” Rachel cut herself off as she grew angrier. She didn’t want to fight with Quinn but she was just so mad. Just the thought of her and Santana- it drove her crazy.

Quinn stood up too, knowing she was about to lose her temper. It was none of Rachel’s business. “I- I don’t have to explain myself to you. We got a little tipsy and hooked up. It won’t happen again, but it was fun. I don’t regret it.”

The frustration on Quinn’s face was evident but Rachel couldn’t back down. None of this made sense. “So, what, Santana was your college lesbian experience?”

“That’s not fair. You don’t know anything about how I feel about it so don’t act like you do,” Quinn snapped. “There’s no reason for you to be pissed.”

“Maybe not but I thought-” Rachel sighed, the fight leaving her. “I thought we were friends. I thought we were close.”

“We are. Sleeping with Santana wasn’t about you,” Quinn fudged. It was a little about Rachel but she couldn’t exactly explain why. “I just wanted to know what it was like.”

“Why?” Rachel crossed the room, looking up Quinn’s face.

Spinning away from Rachel, Quinn walked over the window and stared out, gathering her thoughts. She could not look at her while she said this. Otherwise, she’d end up declaring her undying love. “I started having these feelings and I brought it up with my therapist. Yes, I have a therapist, don’t ask. And I realized that I- I’m not- I don’t want boys. I never have. And I had to know, I had to try with someone who wouldn’t turn it into a big thing. At the wedding, I- I just gave it a chance with Santana. And now I know.”

Rachel’s heart jumped into her throat as she walked closer to Quinn, stopping to give her the space she so obviously needed. “Know what?”

“That I’m gay.” Quinn’s voice caught. “Oh, God. That’s the first time I’ve said it out loud to anyone but my therapist.”

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re okay.” Rachel rushed over to her, turning Quinn around and taking her hands. “God, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I pushed this. It really isn’t any of my business. But you- you’re all right.”

Quinn stared at Rachel, who was looking back at her anxiously. It would be so easy to just blurt out every little feeling she’d ever felt for her. But that wasn’t fair. Rachel was still reeling over everything that happened with Brody. Plus, Quinn knew she wasn’t ready to deal with the possible ending of her friendship with Rachel if she freaked out over it. Taking a deep breath, she tried to smile. “I- I’m okay. Really. I just- That’s not why I came over. We’re supposed to be celebrating your audition, not wallowing over my ridiculous identity crisis.”

“No. Nothing about you is ridiculous.” Rachel rushed to reassure her, squeezing Quinn’s hands. “I’m just sorry you’ve been keeping this to yourself for so long.”

“I think it had to be that way. I don’t think I could have figured it out if I had a bunch of people wanting to know about how I’m feeling.”

Smiling sheepishly, Rachel tugged Quinn closer to her. “I guess do kind of push.”

“It’s not just you.” Quinn wrapped her arms around Rachel, sinking into her embrace. “It’s everyone who would expect me to know exactly who I am. Most of our friends are black and white people. There’s no room for figuring things out. And- and I needed that time. I’m not like Santana. She wasn’t ready to come out but once it happened, she was out all the way. She was in your face and ready to take on anyone. But that’s not me.”

“That makes sense.” Rachel leaned into Quinn, rubbing her circles on her back.

“You’re not mad at me?” Quinn whispered.

“Hey, no. Of course not.” Shocked by the thought that Quinn believed that she could be angry with her, Rachel looked up into her eyes. “You have the right to do what you want. I wish I could have helped you but I understand why you needed time to yourself. I’m just happy that you told me and you’re happy with yourself now. You are, right?”

“Yes. It’s- I feel a lot better about myself. I’m being honest.” Quinn gazed at Rachel, her smile growing the longer they stood together. Maybe she didn’t have Rachel the way she wanted her, but being truthful with her and having her still be standing here meant more than she could ever explain.

Rachel pulled herself away from Quinn, keeping a hold on her hand. “It’s pretty late. Do you want to watch another movie or go to sleep?”

“I’m kind of tired. Do you- do you want me to sleep in Santana’s room?” Quinn asked timidly. She didn’t think Rachel would be uncomfortable with her but she wanted to give her the option to keep her distance.

“No! If you want your own space, go ahead and sleep in there. But I’d like it if you stayed with me. It’d be like a slumber party.” Rachel grinned, hoping she didn’t look as eager as she felt. For some reason, she didn’t want Quinn away from her.

A huge wave of relief came over Quinn. She grinned back at Rachel. “You won’t hide my underwear in the freezer, will you?”

“That doesn’t really happen, does it?” Rachel asked, a puzzled look on her face.

Quinn shrugged. “Not to me, at least. The only thing I usually had to worry about was pulling Santana off of Brittany before anything inappropriate happened.”

“Oh.” Rachel laughed at the horrified look on Quinn’s face.

“Yeah.” Quinn shuffled her feet anxiously. “Uh, I’ll go change in the bathroom.”

“Okay. I’ll be in my room.”

Quinn changed her clothes quickly and made her way into Rachel’s room, stopping short at what she saw. Rachel had pulled on a pair of short shorts but she hadn’t put a shirt on yet. And she was turned away so Quinn couldn’t see anything but she still felt flushed. Her mind was full of thoughts she really shouldn’t be having. She was here for Rachel, she was supposed to be celebrating her audition, not letting herself drift off into lustful daydreams. Thoughts about soft Rachel’s skin probably was and how much she wanted to touch-

“Hey, are you all right?” Somehow, Rachel had managed to finish getting dressed and walk across the room while Quinn had drifted off into fantasy land. Rachel placed her hand on Quinn’s cheek. “You’re awfully warm. Are you getting a cold?”

“I’m fine.” Quinn forced a smile, looking away from Rachel inquisitive stare. “Just thinking. It’s been a long day.”

“Let’s go to bed.” Rachel waited for Quinn to settle into bed next to her before turning off the light. They lied next to each other in tense silence before Rachel turned over and slung her arm around Quinn. “I like to cuddle. I hope it’s okay.”

“Y-Yeah. It’s great.” Quinn gulped, hoping Rachel didn’t notice how uptight she was. This was like her worst nightmare and greatest dream all rolled into one. She was so worried that Rachel could tell how she felt that she couldn’t even enjoy being wrapped up next to her.

“Quinn?” Rachel whispered. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, of course.” Quinn started to turn over but was stopped by Rachel tightening her grip. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. It’ll just be easier to do this if I’m not looking at you.”

“You can tell me anything, Rachel.”

Burying her face into Quinn’s hair, Rachel breathed deeply. “I know that. I just- It’s a little awkward. Is there anyone you’re interested in?”

“What?” Quinn froze. Did Rachel think she was coming onto her?

“You can tell me it’s none of my business but I was curious.” Rachel mistook Quinn’s tension for irritation.

There was no way for Quinn to duck the question completely but she couldn’t tell Rachel how crazy she was for her. “Yeah, there’s someone. But I don’t know if- if I’m ready to be with her. It took me a long time to be comfortable with myself. I don’t want to start something if I’m not ready.”

“Oh.” Rachel closed her eyes, relief spilling over her.

“Why did you want to know?” Quinn asked, placing her hand on top of Rachel’s on her stomach. “Do you want to set me up with someone?”

“No.” Rachel pinched Quinn before deciding to just say what was on her mind. It wasn’t as though she was ever shy with Quinn. “I was just wondering- what if the person you’re interested wasn’t ready for you either?”

Quinn frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what if she was going through a tough time herself? What if she needed some time alone to figure her life out before starting a relationship?” Rachel spit the words out quickly, hoping Quinn would figure out what she meant without her having to spell it out.

“Rach, are you saying-”

Rachel cut Quinn off, knowing she wouldn’t be able to finish this if she was interrupted. “I’m saying this girl you like probably thinks you’re pretty special but she just can’t right now. What- what would you think?”

Quinn was silent for a long time, mulling over Rachel’s words. Her heart pounded in her chest but she wasn’t scared anymore. “I think that this girl is wonderful and I’d wait forever if she wanted me to.”

“That’s nice but I don’t think it’ll be necessary. Just a little longer.” Rachel grinned.

“I can definitely do that.” Quinn leaned back into Rachel’s body.

“Good.” Rachel squeezed Quinn and yawned. “I’m tired.”

“Then let’s sleep.” Quinn squirmed a bit. “Even if it is weird for you to be the big spoon.”

“Oh, hush. Just go to sleep.” Rachel kept her hold on Quinn and they both drifted off to sleep.


End file.
